Deeply worried about women, minorities in Afghanistan: Malala

Pakistani activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai on Monday said she is worried for the safety of women, minorities and human rights advocates in Afghanistan.

The 24-year-old, who was shot in the head by the Taliban in Pakistan for advocating education for girls, urged global and regional powers to call for an immediate ceasefire in the country and provide help to civilians.

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“We watch in complete shock as Taliban takes control of Afghanistan. I am deeply worried about women, minorities and human rights advocates. Global, regional and local powers must call for an immediate ceasefire, provide urgent humanitarian aid and protect refugees and civilians,” Yousafzai, who now lives in the UK, tweeted.

We watch in complete shock as Taliban takes control of Afghanistan. I am deeply worried about women, minorities and human rights advocates. Global, regional and local powers must call for an immediate ceasefire, provide urgent humanitarian aid and protect refugees and civilians.

— Malala (@Malala) August 15, 2021

Yousafzai was forced to flee Pakistan’s Swat Valley when it was taken over by the Taliban in 2008. She spoke out publicly about the importance of female education and was subsequently shot by a masked Taliban terrorist on her way home from school in October 2012 when she was 15.

She was flown to the UK and treated for her injuries in Birmingham. She is still an outspoken activist and has a degree in philosophy, politics and economics from the University of Oxford. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014 – the youngest Nobel laureate in history.